With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 4
I have left Sakaki’s message on "read."
“About that matter, reply whenever you can.”
The way he wrote it—a single sentence without pressing for an answer—was clever. Smooth, really. When someone acts like that, the more you think about it, the more you’re tempted to take the deal, and the longer you go without replying, the guiltier you feel. I wasn't sure if it was a trick he picked up from being in the industry or just the natural tact of someone skilled at moving people.
However, I’d been thinking about it since this morning, and the truth was, I had already reached a conclusion.
"I'm not doing it" might be the most accurate way to put it. It wasn't that I didn't trust Sakaki. It was just that appearing on someone else’s channel and becoming a part of someone else’s project... for some reason, it felt like the same pattern as when I was a salaryman.
You move according to the higher-ups' policies, the results belong to the company, and when you're no longer needed, you're cut loose. Even if this wasn't exactly that, my experience seemed to be whispering it to me.
"In that case, I'll just do it myself."
When I said it out loud, the conclusion felt surprisingly simple.
I’ll stream on my own. I won't show my face. I'll just keep my hood up, appraise things in the dungeon, and if I find something interesting, I'll talk. Nobody's going to watch at first anyway, and if nobody watches, I have nothing to lose.
My disposition for acting on impulse without overthinking things was only convenient at times like this.
◇
I finished my preparations during the afternoon. On the way back from the convenience store, I stopped at a hundred-yen shop to buy a smartphone stand and a small tripod. The total was a little over five hundred yen. There’s no end to it if you try to get expensive gear right away; it’s better to try it out first and then think. It’s dark in the dungeon anyway, and if things get inconvenient, I can upgrade my equipment later.
For the streaming platform, I chose "DungeonTube." It’s specialized for dungeon-related content, and its terms of service and monetization requirements are more realistic than others. The fact that Sakaki used it was also a factor.
I struggled a bit with the account name. I couldn't think of anything "cool," and since it wouldn't suit my personality anyway, I absolutely refused to use one. Many explorer-streamers have names like "The Man Who Cuts the Darkness" or "The Tyrant's Appraising Eye." They don't fit me, and I have no intention of making them fit.
In the end, I went with [Scavenger].
I pick up waste in dungeons late at night. That’s the truth. There’s no point in putting on airs, and I figured it would be easier later on if the name was close to reality rather than something flashy.
◇
A little after midnight, I was standing in front of the service entrance of the Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon.
Today, I wasn't entering as a scavenging staff member but with my personal explorer’s license. The upper layers are sections anyone can enter as long as they have a license. While the risk is low, it’s almost entirely "at your own risk," and I can't expect the same protection I had during my part-time shifts. It has its pros and cons, but the biggest advantage is "freedom"—that's all there is to it.
I tucked my smartphone into my jacket’s breast pocket, pointing only the lens outward. In the end, I decided not to use the tripod that could double as a handle. I could have held it, but as a solo explorer, having one hand occupied is a safety issue. If this doesn't work, I’ll change it. Besides, recent phones have great image stabilization and features that automatically frame the shot, so I decided to rely on those. I pulled my hood down low, confirmed my face wasn't visible, and hit the "Start Stream" button.
The title: [Late-Night Dungeon Scavenger: Picking Stuff Up While Appraising]
Viewer count: 0.
"...Well, figures."
If nobody's there, it’s perfect for practice. It's a little embarrassing to talk out loud, but with no one listening, it's an ideal environment to get used to it.
"Uh... I’m Scavenger. I’m entering a dungeon late at night. I’ll be picking up discarded items and checking their prices with my Appraisal skill. It’s a plain stream, but feel free to watch."
After saying that, I stepped through the entrance.
◇
Once inside, I smelled that unique dungeon scent I wasn't yet used to. There was no sign of monsters; the upper layer was quiet today as well.
The viewer count was still at 1. It was probably a bot, or my own account opened on a different device.
The first thing that caught my eye was a mass of shattered magic stone rolling at the edge of the passage. It was slightly larger than an adult's fist. It looked grey and clouded, appearing completely "dead." An ordinary scavenging crew would usually just send it off for waste disposal.
"This looks like something someone left behind yesterday, too. Well, let's take a look."
I directed my [Appraisal] toward it.
Magic Quartz Mass (Degraded) Current Value: Low Notes: Non-degraded core remains inside Reuse: Can be used as medium-grade magic stone material after crushing and refining Recommended Market: For refiners / Expected price increase of 30–50% over standard buy-back
"...Oh, the core inside this is still alive."
My voice rose in surprise.
"It looks completely useless on the outside, but the Appraisal says the core inside is still usable. It says if I take it to a refiner, I could get thirty to fifty percent more than the usual buy-back price."
A comment appeared.
『Wait, really?』
The viewer count had risen to 2. I was a bit startled by the sudden comment, but I steadied my voice and replied.
"It’s true. They say the Appraisal skill is plain and not very useful, but it comes in handy at times like this. I can check the insides of things that people throw away based purely on appearances."
『That’s an amazing way to use it.』
『Magic quartz can be worth a lot depending on the quality.』
The viewer count grew to 3, then 5, slowly ticking upward.
◇
By the time 30 minutes had passed, the viewer count was at 12.
It was only 12 people, but every one of them was leaving comments. As I picked up each piece of trash, I read out the appraisal results. My voice would jump when something interesting appeared, and when something mundane showed up, I said so honestly.
"This one is just trash. Appraised it, but the value is zero. I’m leaving it."
『"It’s trash" lol, so honest.』
『Most streamers would try to hype it up.』
『I like this vibe.』
I see, so not hyping it up was interesting to them. The more honest I was, the more comments I got back. That feeling was intriguing, and before I knew it, I was talking more and more.
Then, about 40 minutes into the stream, the "main event" for tonight arrived.
In the corner of the passage, half-buried under other scraps, lay a dull-colored cloth bag. It was about the size of two fists. The opening was twisted shut. To anyone else, it looked like just an old sack.
I picked it up casually and used [Appraisal].
Mana-Sealing Bag (Used)
Current Value: Low
Rarity: B
Notes: Internal mana-blocking structure is intact
Uses: Reuse for storage/transport of magic items or as a mana-leak prevention case
Recommended Market: Magic item specialty shops; buy-back rate around 50,000–80,000 yen
"...This..."
I stopped speaking for a moment.
"The result says this is a used Mana-Sealing Bag. The contents are empty, of course, and it looks like just a worn-out rag... but the structure of the bag itself seems to be intact. It says if I take it to a magic item specialty shop, they’ll buy it for 50,000 to 80,000 yen."
The comment section exploded.
『No way.』
『That bag!?!?』
『It looks like a regular cloth sack.』
『Appraisal is scary.』
『So this is the Scavenger’s eye...』
Without me noticing, the viewer count had reached 38.
"...Wait a second, the viewers increased."
The words slipped out.
『You just noticed? lol』
『I’ve been watching the whole time.』
『This is too interesting to leave.』
38 people. It was a small number. But considering it was zero thirty minutes ago, suddenly there were 38 people there.
I tucked the cloth bag gently into my pocket and spoke to the screen.
"...This was my first time streaming today, but I think I’ll keep doing it."
The moment I finished, a flood of comments came in.
『I’ll watch the next one.』
『Please keep going.』
『Subscribed.』
『This is definitely going to blow up.』
I gave one more slight bow to the screen.
"Thank you for coming. I'll stop here for today. Good work, everyone."
I took the smartphone out of my breast pocket and hit the button to end the stream. The viewer count lingered for a split second before the screen went dark.
Only the sound of my own footsteps remained in the dungeon passage.
38 viewers. 24 subscribers. Stream time: exactly one hour.
In all the years I spent as a salaryman, I had never felt a sense of accomplishment like this. I couldn't quite put it into words. It wasn't so much that I felt "valued," but rather a feeling that I had truly reached people.
As I started walking toward the service entrance, my phone vibrated.
It was from Sakaki.
『...Did you start your own stream today by any chance?』
I smiled slightly and replied.
『I did.』
I sent the message and put my phone away.
I’ll turn in tonight’s Mana-Sealing Bag for appraisal tomorrow. If it’s 50,000 yen, that’s fine. But more than that, I was already thinking about the next stream.
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